Chapters 9 through 12 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 9: Chicago

Mamet was born and raised in Chicago which at the time was a very rough city. There was something alluring about the infamous dirty politics of the city. He has mused that he'd rather deal with a crooked cop than a bureaucrat. He was schooled by a culture which included liberal leaders like Mayor Daly and State Senator Barack Obama. The culture of society could be summed up in one phrase, "That's how we do things in Chicago," the sub-text of which was not to dare question established conventions. The promise to the people for burying their heads in the sand was the promise that the government would take care of them.

White neighborhoods were treated better by the white mayor and the all-white city council. Mamet's family felt guilty about the treatment of the blacks and...